1632 Rings of Fire
by Matthew A. Mize
Summary: In which the towns of Grantville and Gardnerville are sent through time and space from the respective times and place of 2000AD West Virginia, and 2034AD post apocalyptic Oklahoma to 1631 Central Germany and 1632 Western Germany. or Thuringia, and Alcase, regions of "The Germanies" during the thirty years war, where they will reshape the world. this is my first fanfic,
1. Prologue

No one knew who set off the bombs that destroyed thirty cities, and frankly no one really cared. everyone was either worried about survival or conquest for from the ashes of the old United States rose four great powers all hoping to take the rest of the country by force and bring their own rule. in the Northeast of the old America was the Union, claiming to be what was left of the old Nation with it's new capital in the city of Buffalo, New York, and having an Army second only to it's rival in the West. In the states from Colorado to California and Arizona to Montana was the Military-Alliance of Independent-States, or M-A-I-S. controlled by a circle of Military Governors, for all intents and purposes a dictatorship. in the Souteast was the New Confederate States of America with it's drive for days of yore. And last but not least was the Republic of Texas, whose only wish was the annexation of the Southern Midwest City States and their oilfields to add to that of the oilfields that Texas still owned. In what had once been Oklahoma several City States emerged and created a loose coalition for trade and defense, the largest City State was Gardnerville, an oil and cattle town the Town Council with the help of eccentric Millionaire Matthew O'Brien with a large stockpile of weapons and vehicles and even small underground factories and the materials for said factories hidden in his bunker under the town, Gardnerville fortified itself from attack, had recruited the 45th Infantry Division, the Oklahoma National Guard, and all surviving Airforce Personnel from Tinker AFB. between their new but small Air Force, and their new Army with weapons, vehicles, and even artillery from Ft Sill. and all of the other depots and armories in central Oklahoma, Gardnerville and the surrounding City States were able to fend of attack after attack. but in the end with four hungry nations moving into Oklahoma the Coalition started losing ground until all of their forces fell back to behind the walls, pillboxes, and bunkers of Gardnerville, where while preparing for the end they experience what they believe is both a cosmic accident and a Devine Miracle they later call the Ring of Fire they find themselves away from the modern armies of 21st century America and in the middle of 17th century Alsace, Western Germany just west of the Rhine. there they will help shape the future of not only France and Germany but the World.


	2. Chapter One

General Matthew O'Brien of the City State of Gardnerville, (if you call a town originally of about six thousand people now at around twenty-five thousand over an area of land of roughly twenty miles in diameter a City!) stood over the Ramparts of the new wall of the City and all of it's domain waiting for the battle the could take place any day now, if you want to call a five way free for all something as noble as a normal battle. Standing next to him was Mayor turned Governor, Michael Perron, an old friend of Matthew's from before the Bombs, an old but wise leader and one of the many old vets that lived in Gardnerville before the Bombs. Michael looked over at his young friend Matt and spoke with his light Cajun accent, "the troops are prepared, the tanks and APC's are ready, our fighters and bombers what few we have are ready as well, but is their General ready? every battle so far you proved more than able to pull us out by a hair's breadth despite our enemies outnumbering us by a ten-to-one ratio, but this?" he ways to the fields outside the walls, "is your first siege and may be our last with what we face. I suggest you get in touch with your beliefs and pray for a miracle. we all will do the same." Matt looks out to the vast fields and rolling hills that he has called home for most of his life and now must prepare himself to see those same fields covered in the blood and sweat of people that were once cousins and fellow countrymen. "I've started praying since the Bombs, I hope they are answered, because i hate seeing my home look like this!" he also waves at the scenery. "my country torn in four big pieces and a bunch of smaller ones such as ourselves, looking like an even bigger, bloodier version of Yugoslavia did back when it fell apart! you and i both remember what this country was like! a republic! not this collection of dictatorships and Citiy-States!" he sighed, finally feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. he looked back to his old friend when all of a sudden a great flash and a shaking of the Earth that felt like an eternity, Matt, thinking it was another nuke pushed Michael to the ground and tried to shield him but as sudden as started it ended just as fast. Matt slowly gets up and helps his friend up when he suddenly notices the landscape outside the city is no longer the same fields he knew like the back of his hand, a hundred yards from the defenses and walls was a wall of shiny dirt and outside that perimeter were trees and a great River that vaguely looked like something he has seen before and in the far distance to his right he can make out mountains, and looking up he not only can see the sun when it was night a few minutes ago but can tell that before he was facing West now he's facing East. 'things just got weird' he thought. "hey Mike do you see what I see or am I hallucinating?" Michael looked around before replying "if you are seeing things then so am I, i. I'm going to check the rest of the perimeter as well as the people and make sure everyone is alright, afterwards I'll check the radio." as soon as the words left his mouth the 64 year old Governor ran off like he wasn't a day over 25. Matt chuckled to himself despite the situation, he looked back at strange landscape when he sees a ragged looking band of men in the distance slowly marching towards the river and the City, Matt pulls his binoculars out feom under his trench coat and takes a look at the group of men and couldnt believe his eyes! they were wearing what looked like old Spanish helmets and armor! even the clothes under their cuiriass looked like what he has seen in museums and history books of the old Conquestadors. he turns back to yell for men to assemble at the wall and into the pillboxes and machine gun posts, he grabbed his walkie talkie he had hidden in his trench coat (where he always forgot the Damned thing.) and seen if it worked or not at first nothing then suddenly it came to life and could hear the confusion in several people calling out to anyone who could hear them. "shut up! this is General O'Brien! I'm on what we all know as the West Wall i need men over here on the double! there are men in old uniforms and armor heading this way! I repeat troops to the West Wall on the double! over and out!" looking around Matt desides to run over to the nearest tower and to one of the stations for the loud speaker system and keyed in the speakers facing outward off of the walls and started in a clear voice of authority both in English and Spanish just in case he was right somehow about them being some sort of weird conqiestadors.(sorry y'all I have trouble with that word but I hope y'all don't have to much trouble understanding when this poor hillbilly messes up a word). "unknown soldiers! halt and raise your hands in the air! do not come any closer or you will be shot! our soldiers will escort you behind the walls follow their instructions or you will be shot!" as soon as Matthew was done speaking he looked out the window and saw the soldiers standing wet, and cold on the bank of the river with their hands up high as his own soldiers ran out to meet these men and take them into custody, just looking at them he could tell they must have just lost a battle and were in retreat. Matt unslings his own rifle and heads downstairs and towards the main gate to await the prisoners.

as he arrives in front of the gate the great steel doors open wide and the procession of men in the strange armor and swords still in their sheaths are marched in. "who among you is in charge?" before he could even switch to Spanish a tall burly man steps forward, and speaks with a strong English accent. "most of our Officers are dead, those who are still alive have given me the authority to speak for us out of the shame the feel for the defeat we have received by the Americans and their Greek Fire, or as the officers and our late inquisitors called them "the Grantville witches" my name is Sargent Andrew Smith, one of the many foreign mercenaries in this army, we were heading back to Spanish Flanders when we came along this City of yours. since your City was not here before i assume you chaps have just arrived? another Ring of Fire as the other Americans called it in as many months odd" as Matthew looked into the Sargent's eyes he could see no lies and just stood there in shock as the situation hits him like a ten tonne hammer, he calls over the closest man he could find under his command. "run over to the radio tower and see if you cant get a hold of anyone broadcast to anyone listen and call out specifically to any Americans that can hear us, hopefully with our equipment we can make contact." the young private salutes and gives a "yes sir" before running off to the communication tower located on a hill near the edge of the town proper. he looks back to the Englishman and says "okay now I will let you all go in exchange for information on where, and when we are and where this other American town is and if anyone has map that would be good, as well as any other basic information of the area and time we are in, you will all be given food, medical treatment and those of you who would like to stay can as long as you either work a trade or serve in our Army. what say you all?" Sargent Smith and seven others chose to stay and gave more information while the rest of the defeated Spanish Army was fed, treated, then sent on their way with a message that not only were they defeated by the first group of up-timers but of the arrival of the second group and and their walled City and thw many strange guns they saw the new of up-timers carry.

* * *

Later that day a message came over the radio from a 'President Mike Stearns of the New United States' Matthew and Governor Perron arrived at the same time in the radio room and Michael gave Matt the go ahead to speak for their people. "This is General Matthew O'Brien of the City State of Gardnerville to President Mike Stearns over." "this is Stearns, I'm assuming you all just arrived and have found out what year you're in already?" everyone in the room looked at each other before Matthew started to speak again. " yes Mr, President, we're not sure how to take all this information at once but y'all seem to be handling it better than us over here, at least we all agree over here its at least a bit better than where we came from." silence lasted for a few minutes before Mr Stearns spoke again. "well we figured that if the Ring of Fire could move us across time and space to Germany during the Thirty Years War then why not another town or city? I do have three questions however: one, how did you find out where you were and about us, two where is your location, and three what year are you from? oh and i just caught on to what you said how is winding up in the middle of 17th century Europe better than your previous situation?" Matthew took a deep breath before replying, the remnants of a Spanish Army you defeated ran right into us Right after they crossed the Rhine in their hasty retreat home, and if the information we received is correct we are in the Alcase region not even two hundred yards from the Rhine. also as for the last two questions we are from 2034 Oklahoma in the middle of a war between several different narions that all were once part of thw good ole USA we all were from. i hate to tell yall this but after thirty different cities went up in mushroom clouds with no clear sign of who done it America pretty much ended up a bigger, bloodier mess than the old Yugoslavia break-up. and the rest of the world must have had their hands full 'cause no one ever came to our aid." this time the silence lasted longer, finally Matthew felt the need to speak. " sir could you give us your co-ordinants? so myself and the Governor can meet with you face to face? we have several Blackhawks and large fuel reserves on top of a refinery for our second biggest natural resource, oil, the other being steaks. of which we will be bringing a shipment of." what followed next was the beginning of a friendship and alliance between the two towns and by the end of the month Gardnerville joined both the N.U.S. and the Confederated Principalities of Europe under Emperor Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. and the start of a brave new world..


End file.
